1957 FC 150 Jeep - The Path Less Traveled

As a kid I found myself attracted to small Jeeps. My home was the small town of Woodland Park, Colorado. At a nearby Gulf Service Station was an olive-green Jeep FC-170 wrecker. The wrecker had a hoist mounted in the bed and dual rear wheels. On cold days, the exhaust steam shot out of the chrome stacks behind the cab, straight up into the air. The stubby wrecker looked like a miniature semi truck--strong and cool-looking at the same time. As an adult, I've discovered these Jeep trucks in various yards and farmers' fields, always wishing I had one.

My Jeep lust increased in 1999 while on a family trip to San Antonio, Texas. Passing a Jeep in front of a farmhouse with a "For Sale" sign in the windshield, I failed to stop to investigate. Thinking back, I wish I had. On Thanksgiving Day 2001, we were driving to visit my in-laws when I saw a brown '57 FC-150 for sale. This time, on the way back home, I stopped to look--but was told it was already sold.

Later, I heard about another Jeep in Granite, Colorado, 250 miles away. This one had some of the wooden flat bed left and the axles were sunk deep in the mud. It was tempting, but I decided a more complete project would be better. I heard about one several miles southeast of Colorado Springs, but failed to find it after a day and a half of searching.

I was beginning to believe I'd never find a '50s FC, then my nephew mentioned seeing one behind an RV store fence in Colorado Springs. Ironically, I'd purchased a motor home from this business several years earlier, so I called the shop owner and started talking. Bugging him over the span of many phone calls, I finally wore him down.

Soon after picking up the Jeep in December 2001, I realized this wasn't the brutish machine I'd dreamed about in my youth. I had to put it into 4WD Low just to pull it onto the trailer. But at least it ran. Once I got everything home, I decided what I was going to do with it. Chrome 15x10 wheels and 32-inch BFGoodrich tires did wonders for the tired truck. Because the wheels turned it into a "chick magnet" (still wondering why my wife was laughing at me), I had to get it running better. I installed a single-wire GM alternator and tossed the old generator; installed new plugs, wires, condenser, cap, and remanufactured OEM fuel pump; and rebuilt the carb. I took off the oil-bath air cleaner and installed a K&N cone air cleaner. I even purchased a chrome cover for the rear differential (shiny equals faster).

Things were looking up until the gas tank began leaking. The local radiator shop said it was past fixing. Karl (the owner) agreed to build one from aluminum, including the filler, sending unit, drain plug, and baffles. Karl also suggested suicide doors and a tilt bed would look cool. I added that the top should be chopped, too. When I bought the Jeep, my buddy Scott recommended I chop the top, slam it to the ground and make a hot rod out of it. On that day the seed was planted, and it didn't take long to grow.

Karl made the fuel tank and mounted it. Still, this thing would barely get out of its own way. From home to the shop climbing a slight uphill grade, I could manage a mere 15 mph. Returning home was a different story altogether. Downhill, this baby was able to reach 50 mph, but was plenty scary. The engine noise was loud. And I couldn't hear my kids yelling--the noisy square-cut trans gears didn't help. I realized the Jeep in its current state couldn't serve as a daily driver.

The Jeep sat into the fall, and during this period, several guys tried to buy it. I tried to convince myself that I wanted to just get my money out of it. Thankfully, nobody came up with the cash. The hot rod seed planted earlier sprouted the day after Christmas, 2002. When replacing the front cab corners, I noticed the rears were shot as well. One thing led to another, and another, and soon that little seed in my head had bloomed into a full orchard of half-baked ideas.

After 20 months and a week, it was finally finished. I've been asked many times, "Why?" I really don't know. Those fond childhood memories of the Gulf Jeep FC-170 wrecker morphed into something larger than life. Or perhaps I was in so deep there was no way to stop. But I know one thing is certain: You're not likely to see another FC-150 like it very often . . . if at all.